Sonia Narang recently returned from reporting on reproductive rights in the Philippines for Across Women's Lives. She visited Manila's Fabella Hospital and shows us through her photography what it's like for Filipino women to endure one of the world's most crowded maternity wards.

Updated

03/10/2015 - 7:45am

The Catholic Church urges ‘natural family planning’ and says it has 98 percent effectiveness. A medical expert says it is closer to 80 percent — and that is in societies where a woman is able to say no to a partner's demands for sex.

Updated

03/11/2015 - 8:00am

Delivering in one of the world's most crowded maternity wards may be miserable, but the birth control these women can access afterward makes it worth it to them. Maybe, they say, they won't have to come back, or at least so soon.

Half of all pregnancies in the predominantly Catholic Philippines are unintended. That may change as the country begins to roll out its new reproductive health law, but the Catholic Church — and even the pope — are still fighting the push for free contraception.

Pope Francis brought a "Mercy and Compassion" theme to the Philippines during his five-day visit. But despite the huge crowds that flocked to see the pontiff and celebrate Mass, activists say real issues of social justice were hidden from Francis by the government.

When Pope Francis holds a Catholic Mass in Manila this weekend, he's expected to draw up to six million people. But there are conflicting hopes and expectations for what he'll say to Asia's most populous Catholic country.

The global climate talks in Lima, Peru, were a disappointment for activists. But, for the first time, almost 200 countries, rich and poor, agreed in principle to cut their emissions. And there could be reason for optimism about next year's even-bigger talks in Paris.

Nicole Ponseca, founder of Maharlika and Jeepney in the East Village, wants Filipino food to stand on its own two feet in the American market. Unlike what some of her contemporaries have said, she thinks America is ready for offals.

Updated

03/11/2015 - 8:00am

Delivering in one of the world's most crowded maternity wards may be miserable, but the birth control these women can access afterward makes it worth it to them. Maybe, they say, they won't have to come back, or at least so soon.

Updated

03/10/2015 - 7:45am

The Catholic Church urges ‘natural family planning’ and says it has 98 percent effectiveness. A medical expert says it is closer to 80 percent — and that is in societies where a woman is able to say no to a partner's demands for sex.

What’s a bunch of trees worth? Well, if they save your town from the storm surge of a huge typhoon, you might say they’re invaluable. That’s what happened to the community of General MacArthur, in the Philippines, and its fate holds a lesson for coastal communities around the world.

The United States was among the first foreign nations to move in to help the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan's devastation. The US has long had close, though not always happy, ties with the island nation.

It's rare to see an Asian gun club. Most gun owners in the US are white males. Yet Filipino immigrants in the Norco Running Gun Club of California say guns are part of Filipino culture, and part of the intertwined history of the Philippines and the US.

Half of all pregnancies in the predominantly Catholic Philippines are unintended. That may change as the country begins to roll out its new reproductive health law, but the Catholic Church — and even the pope — are still fighting the push for free contraception.

In 1905, a small tribe from the Philippines appeared at Coney Island as a "human exhibit." Journalist Claire Prentice chronicles their experiences in her latest book, "The Lost Tribes of Coney Island," which we've excerpted here.

Nicole Ponseca, founder of Maharlika and Jeepney in the East Village, wants Filipino food to stand on its own two feet in the American market. Unlike what some of her contemporaries have said, she thinks America is ready for offals.

Updated

03/11/2015 - 8:00am

Delivering in one of the world's most crowded maternity wards may be miserable, but the birth control these women can access afterward makes it worth it to them. Maybe, they say, they won't have to come back, or at least so soon.

What’s a bunch of trees worth? Well, if they save your town from the storm surge of a huge typhoon, you might say they’re invaluable. That’s what happened to the community of General MacArthur, in the Philippines, and its fate holds a lesson for coastal communities around the world.

The Philippines has one of the highest birth rates in Asia. But recently, the government passed a law, over the strenuous objections of the Catholic Church, that paved the way for providing free contraception. Reporter Aurora Almendral speaks with one woman, a grandmother at 33, about how free birth control could change the lives of the country's poorest.

In 1905, a small tribe from the Philippines appeared at Coney Island as a "human exhibit." Journalist Claire Prentice chronicles their experiences in her latest book, "The Lost Tribes of Coney Island," which we've excerpted here.

Getting relief to the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, or Typhoon Yolanda as Filipinos call it, has been painfully slow. The World's Jason Margolis explains that much of the challenge comes from the geography and lifestyle of the Philippines, as well as the lack of everything from roads to runways.

A climate change march expected to draw thousands in New York on Sunday will be led in part by groups of immigrants. Organizers say it shows that the movement for action on climate change is broadening beyond the traditional profile of environmental activists.

Months after the typhoon that devastated Tacloban in the Philippines, many people are still missing. An American team of trainers and their dogs are helping sniff out human remains — even those underwater — to help the survivors move on after the tragic storm.